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Agence France-Presse

A thick, brown, bubbly foam dubbed “sea snot” has covered the shores of the Sea of Marmara, alarming Istanbul residents and threatening marine life.
The naturally occurring mucilage was first documented in Turkey in 2007, when it was also seen in parts of the Aegean Sea near Greece.
But this outbreak is the largest on record, blamed by experts on a combination of pollution and global warming, which speeds up the growth of algae responsible for the slimy sludge.

“Of course it affects our work,” fisherman Mahsum Daga, 42, said as the viscous substances lapped rows of surrounding boats.
“You know what it does to shellfish? When they open up, it prevents them from closing up again because it gets in the way. All the sea snails here are dead.”
Istanbul University biology professor Muharrem Balci said when the algae grow out of control in springtime, as they have done this year, they block out the sun and cause oxygen depletion for fish and marine life.
The “sea snot” results from a sort of nutrient overload for the algae, which feast on warm weather and water pollution that has grown progressively worse in the past 40 years, Balci said.
“This mucilage is now covering the sea surface like a tent canvas,” Balci told Agence France-Presse.
“After a while, this cover collapses to the bottom and covers the [sea floor’s] ecosystem.”


This could poison the sea’s mussels and creatures such as crabs.
“It will smell like a rotten egg unless this process is halted,” he said.
Cevahir Efe Akcelik, an environment engineer and secretary general of the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects, said the foam could cover the sea all summer unless urgent measures are taken.
“Studies show the mucilage is not only on the surface now but also goes 25 to 30 metres [80-100 feet] deep,” he told AFP.
The Sea of Marmara, which stretches along Istanbul’s southern coast from the Bosphorus to the Aegean Sea, is densely populated and home to numerous industrial sites.
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Balci said it also absorbs some of the waste that flows into the neighbouring Black Sea from the polluted Danube River that cuts across eastern Europe.
“This is an extra burden for the Sea of Marmara,” said Balci, calling for a collective action plan for all of the sea’s coastal cities.
Workers are trying to remove the sludge with nets, but their efforts have so far proven largely ineffective.

Balci said a lasting solution requires proper marine supervision, as well as biological and chemical disposal systems for the sea’s cities and industrial zones.
Ali Oztunc, a politician for the main opposition CHP party, urged the government to impose tough penalties on waste disposal facilities that fail to follow the rules.
“The Sea of Marmara is an inland sea but, unfortunately, it is becoming an inland desert because of the wrong environmental policies,” he told Agence France-Presse.
On Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling coalition shot down a CHP proposal to set up a parliamentary committee to investigate the “sea snot”.
Oztunc also called on Erdogan’s government to finally approve the 2015 Paris Agreement, which aims to limit temperature rises by cutting carbon emissions.
“The government should approve the Paris Agreement without delay,” Oztunc said.


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Turkey

‘Sea snot’ found on Turkey’s shores alarms residents and threatens marine life

A mucus-like substance known as ‘sea snot’ in the Marmara Sea in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo: Xinhua

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the opening of a new port in the Black Sea coastal province of Zonguldak, Turkey, Friday, June 4, 2021. Erdogan announced on Friday the discovery of a 135 billion cubic meter natural gas reserve in the Black Sea, in a new find that could help the energy-dependent country meet its needs in the years to come. The newly found gas reserve follows the discovery of 405 billion cubic meters of natural in the Black Sea last year.(Turkish Presidency via AP, Pool)

(210604) -- ISTANBUL, June 4, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on June 4, 2021 shows a mucus-like substance known as "sea snot" in the Marmara Sea in Istanbul, Turkey. A mucus-like substance known as "sea snot" has been spreading in the Marmara Sea in Turkey's biggest city Istanbul, as experts blame global warming and pollution. (Photo by Osman Orsal/Xinhua) TO GO WITH Feature: Expanding "sea snot" threatens environment in Turkey's Istanbul

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Earthquake kills 25 in western Turkey and two people on Greek island of Samos

Rescuers search a site in the coastal province of Izmir, Turkey, on October 31, 2020. Photo: Reuters

Rescue workers try to save people trapped in the debris of a collapsed building, in Izmir, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. A strong earthquake struck Friday in the Aegean Sea between the Turkish coast and the Greek island of Samos, killing several people and injuring hundreds amid collapsed buildings and flooding, officials said.(AP Photo/Ismail Gokmen)

epa08626587 Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis delivers a speech during a debate in the Parliament in Athens, Greece, 26 August 2020. The agreements with Italy and Egypt on the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) have been submitted for ratification in the plenary session of the Parliament. The draft laws of the Foreign Ministry submitted for ratification on the agreement with Italy for the delimitation of their respective maritime zones and with Egypt for the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone between the two states. In his speech Mitsotakis announced that 'Greece extends its territorial waters to the west from 6 to 12 miles'. EPA-EFE/KOSTAS TSIRONIS

Volunteers clear rubbles as they search for survivors in a collapsed building after a strong earthquake struck the country's western coast and parts of Greece, killing four people and injuring 120, in Izmir, on October 30, 2020. - A powerful earthquake hit Greece and Turkey, causing buildings to collapse and a sea surge that flooded streets in the Turkish resort city of Izmir. Greek public television said the quake also caused a mini-tsunami on the eastern Aegean Sea island of Samos, damaging buildings. The US Geological Survey said the 7.0 magnitude quake was registered 14 kilometres (8.6 miles) off the Greek town of Karlovasi on Samos. (Photo by MERT CAKIR / AFP)

Rescue operations take place on a site after an earthquake struck the Aegean Sea, in the coastal province of Izmir, Turkey, October 30, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

A woman watches as rescue workers try to save people trapped in the debris of a collapsed building, in Izmir, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. A strong earthquake struck Friday in the Aegean Sea between the Turkish coast and the Greek island of Samos, killing several people and injuring hundreds amid collapsed buildings and flooding, officials said.(AP Photo/Ismail Gokmen)

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The naturally occurring mucilage was first documented in Turkey in 2007, when it was also seen in parts of the Aegean Sea near Greece
The outbreak is the largest on record, blamed by experts on a combination of pollution and global warming



Workers are trying to remove the sludge with nets, but their efforts have so far proven largely ineffective.


Environment

Greece

Paris climate summit 2015

‘Sea snot’ found on Turkey’s shores alarms residents and threatens marine life

The naturally occurring mucilage was first documented in Turkey in 2007, when it was also seen in parts of the Aegean Sea near Greece The outbreak is the largest on record, blamed by experts on a combination of pollution and global warming

The naturally occurring mucilage was first documented in Turkey in 2007, when it was also seen in parts of the Aegean Sea near Greece

The outbreak is the largest on record, blamed by experts on a combination of pollution and global warming